The present invention relates to a new and improved method of, and apparatus for, processing printed products, especially newspapers, periodicals and the like.
In its more particular aspects, the present invention concerns a new and improved method of processing printed products, especially newspapers, periodicals and the like, arriving or delivered in an imbricated formation, wherein the imbricated product formation is wound onto a hollow substantially cylindrical winding core together with a tensioned winding band or strap. During the winding or wind-up operation each product is wound with one of the flat sides thereof in confronting relation to and upon the hollow substantially cylindrical winding core which rotates about an essentially horizontal axis and wherein the full or finished wound product packages are subsequently rolled away.
According to the present invention there is also taught a new and improved method of processing imbricated printed products, especially newspapers, periodicals and the like, which have been wound together with a winding band or strap onto a hollow substantially cylindrical winding core to form a wound product package and from which the printed products are unwound together with the winding strap.
The invention also is concerned in its more specific aspects with an apparatus for processing printed products, such as newspapers, periodicals and the like arriving in an imbricated formation, wherein there is provided a drive unit defining a product wind-up station or location and serving for the mounting and driving of a hollow substantially cylindrical winding core having a lengthwise axis which extends essentially in horizontal direction. There is also provided an infeed device or infeed means for the infeed or delivery of the imbricated product formation to the wind-up station or location and which is to be wound up upon the hollow substantially cylindrical winding core. There is further provided a support or mounting device for a supply spool or reel containing a winding band or strap which can be connected with the winding core as well as a roll track or travel surface means for the rolling away or outfeed of the finished wound product package.
As a further apparatus aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for processing printed products, such as newspapers, periodicals and the like wound in an imbricated formation and together with a winding band onto a hollow substantially cylindrical winding core. There is provided a support or mounting unit which defines a wind-off or unwinding station or location for the mounting or support of the wound product package with its lengthwise axis extending substantially horizontally. There is also provided a drive unit for mounting and driving a take-up or receiving spool for the winding band or strap which is unwound from the product package as well as an outfeed or delivery device for the outfeed of the imbricated product formation which has been wound-off of the wound product package in conjunction with the winding band.
It is known to the art to wind as many printed products as possible onto a winding core in order to avoid too frequent exchange of a full or finished wound product package against an empty winding core or, conversely, an empty winding core for a new wound product package in consideration of the present day conventional high operating speeds of modern rotary printing presses and their subsequently arranged processing equipment. Significant in this regard are Swiss Patent No. 559,691, granted Jan. 31, 1975 and Swiss Patent No. 642,602 and its cognate U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,618, granted Mar. 27, 1984. Wound product packages of this type have a considerable weight and volume and cannot, therefore, be easily manipulated.
In the aforementioned Swiss Patent No. 559,691 it has been proposed to provide the hollow cylindrical winding core with disk-shaped lateral plates or cheek plates, the diameter of which is greater than the diameter of the wound product package formed by the printed products. These lateral plates or cheek plates are designed as rolling rims or rings which enables the winding core to be rolled together with the printed products wound thereon. The fully wound winding cores are conveyed from the wind-up station directly to an intermediate storage, and these fully wound winding cores are rolled over at least a portion of their path along inclined surfaces or planes.
Because of the appreciable volume or size and the weight of the wound product packages removal thereof from the wind-up station requires a relatively considerable amount of time and work. Thus, after the completion of a fully wound product package there is required a certain amount of time to again prepare the wind-up station for accomplishing a subsequent product winding or wind-up operation by mounting an empty winding core. However, this time span is readily available since there is likewise required a certain time until a fully wound product package has been completed at a second wind-up station and it is necessary to again place into operation the first wind-up station.
Similar problems also prevail when unwinding the printed products from their wound product packages, in that a certain amount of time is required for inserting or setting-up a heavy fully or finished wound product package into the wind-off or unwinding station.